Going on Hiatus

This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, but I know it’s the right one. In case you don’t have time to read the full message, here’s what you need to get out of it:

I am not closing the magazine, but new issues are suspended for at least 6 months.

If you are a paid subscriber, you may be due a refund. Please take THIS SURVEY to tell me how you want your refund processed.

It will take a few weeks for me to process refunds. They have to be done one at a time, account by account, and that just takes time. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Your newsletter signup will change from Blocks to Die For to LoveBug Studios (my primary business). You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at the bottom if you don’t want this to happen.

What’s going on?

My illness ended up sucking up 2 months of my life. I can’t get those 2 months back – they are gone. While I was sick, I had to seriously prioritize my activities. Popsicle acquisition and fluid intake became more important than anything. When I got to the point where I was able to do a little sewing, I had to think hard about what I could logically get done & had the energy to do. I sewed a label on a quilt and considered that quite an accomplishment.

With those 2 months gone, I’ve had to completely reprioritize my activities to fit into my “new normal” energy level. I’ve been able to go back to work, but I haven’t worked a full day yet. Naps are ever-present in my day. As I reprioritize, I have to be realistic about what I am able to do, and still meet the obligations that I have agreed to. Some things cannot be moved or canceled, like my recent trip to Quilt Market and Festival, where I had a number of teaching obligations. Some things can be pushed off, like some of the magazine articles and quilts I’m working on for others. And some things, like this magazine, can’t be done at all right now, because there just isn’t enough time & energy left to do it successfully.

At this point, I’ve decided to put my focus into finishing the customer quilts that remain on my shelf, filling book orders from the sale of The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips, working on the quilts & articles for my print magazine commitments, publishing videos, and writing the next 3 books set to publish in December, May, and October of next year. It still sounds like too much.

Will Blocks to Die For come back?

I love this little magazine, and I am very proud of the work I’ve done. However, this experience has shown me that I can’t do it by myself. You can’t run a successful magazine if it hinges on the health or schedule of one person. It was ambitious to start a brand-new magazine publishing monthly; it was ambitious to start a subscription from the beginning; it was ambitious to do it all by myself.

When BTDF comes back, it will come back a little differently. Fewer issues per year, with more content. Actual contributors in each issue, not just me doing it by myself. Paid subscriptions when we’re ready. If you’d like to be a part of that, please send me an email and I’ll put you on the list.

What about the money I paid?

If you’re a paid subscriber, PayPal will charge recurring subscriptions, depending on when you signed up. I am not the kind of person to just take the money and disappear; I want to shut down the subscription process in an orderly fashion and make sure everyone gets the money they are due.

What I can offer then is either a full refund, pro-rated refund, or a combination of products (like my book & fabric) up to the value of your subscription in exchange. The amount of your refund depends on when you signed up, and when your renewal got processed. So for example, if you signed up or your subscription renewed within the last 2 months, you’re probably entitled to a full refund. If you signed up or renewed in May 2012, you’re probably entitled to a pro-rated refund. (I say “probably” because it depends on whether you are an annual or semi-annual subscriber. Yikes.)

If you haven’t yet been charged a renewal for your subscription, you can cancel the recurring payment to prevent your account being charged again. Instructions for doing this can be found at this link.

If you signed up somewhere in the middle of Volume 1, and still have part of your subscription remaining, I will have to pro-rate your subscription. Again, just fill out the survey and let me know what you want.

If I don’t hear from you by November 15, I will assume you want a refund of the balance.

It takes several steps for me to process a refund, and because I’m ending all subscriptions, it’s going to take me a few weeks to work through the entire list, and that process will not begin until November 16. Your patience is very much appreciated while I work through this & bring the subscriptions to an end. As I process refunds, I will be emailing each one of you (PAID subscribers only) to let you know the balance you are due and what I am doing with that balance based on your survey.

If during that time, you get an automatic payment deducted from your account, I will just reverse the charge. Thank you in advance for not filing a pre-emptive PayPal dispute. If you don’t see a reversal in your account, or hear from me directly by December 10, please email or call & I’ll look into it & let you know where I’m at in the process.

If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or anything else, please do not hesitate to email me at editor@blockstodiefor.com or call me toll-free at 877-577-8458.

Lastly, I really just want to say thank you to everyone for your support, for the sweet little notes of encouragement you’ve been sending, and let you know that I appreciate everything you all have done & are doing to support my little business as it grows and changes. I am disappointed at having to take this step, but I would rather stop producing the magazine than produce something mediocre & not worthy of your support.

Ebony

One Comment

Vivian McCagg / December 28, 2012

Hi Ebony,having just found your site, I’m disappointed that your magazine is being suspended. I will look forward to its return. When you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything, and one woman dynamos like yourself unfortunately when they become ill, they really get knocked off their feet. I have lived through similar challenges and slowly emergered through the other side, but I have learned the hard way that no one can be all to everyone and everthing, and being women in business we try twice as hard to be sometimes considered half as good…you have the outlook that you need to make a successful transition to a healthly recovery-you’ve already formed the correct outlook of reducing some of your workload-work at what you love and feel that you must do-then do only what you love. Your statements make it seem that you are already there. Best of luck to you in your recovery, your fans will be hoping for your speedy recovery.

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Ebony Love is a designer, award-winning quilter, and quilting arts educator. She is widely recognized as a premier expert and innovator in the fabric die cutting community, and has produced over 40 instructional quilting YouTube videos in addition to authoring a book on die cutting techniques.